Distribution and synonymy of Plagiochila punctata (Taylor) Taylor, with hypotheses on the evolutionary history of Plagiochila sect. Arrectae (Plagiochilaceae, Hepaticae)

For a long time, Plagiochila (sect. Arrectae) punctata (Taylor) Taylor has been treated as an endemic of Atlantic Europe. Studies of larger specimen sets demonstrated that the species is widespread in mountainous regions of the Neotropics where it is known under several names including P. stolonifera Lindenb. & Gottsche, P. choachina Gottsche and P. patzschkei Steph. In tropical Africa P. punctata is established as Plagiochila subalpina Steph., nom. illeg. The sporophyte of P. punctata is described for the first time, based on material from Costa Rica. A maximum likelihood analysis of a nrITS sequence alignment with sequences of P. sects. Fuscoluteae (outgroup), Arrectae, and Rutilantes as well as of P. rubescens (Lehm. & Lindenb.) Lindenb. results in a tree with well bootstrap supported Arrectae and Rutilantes clades. ITS sequences of Plagiochila punctata from the Comoros and Zaire are placed in an unsupported monophyletic lineage together with P. punctata sequences from the British Isles and Ecuador. The species is nested in a robust clade with P. spinulosa (Dicks.) Dumort. and P. stricta Lindenb. The weak genetic separation of these three species indicates a recent diversification; the disjunct ranges may be the result of long range dispersal events. Plagiochila rubescens from southern South America is placed sister to P. sect. Arrectae. The latter section possibly originated from southern South American ancestors, diversified in tropical America after the uplift of the Andes and reached the Holarctics and tropical Africa by long range dispersal of diaspores.We are grateful to the curators and owners of the herbaria cited in the text for the loan of specimens, especially to Tamás Pócs, Volker Buchbender and Eberhard Fischer for their continuous support with recent collections from tropical Africa. David Rycroft kindly sent a duplicate of P. rubescens. Financial support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant HE 3584/1) is gratefully acknowledged.     

Bryophytes of St Helena,South Atlantic Ocean. 6. Cheilolejeunea (Spruce) Schiffn. (Jungermanniales: Lejeuneaceae), including C. microscypha (Hook.f. & Taylor) M.Wigginton,comb. nov. and C. rotalis (Hook.f. & Taylor) M.Wigginton,comb. nov.

Abstract

Two little known species of Cheilolejeunea, C. microscypha (Hook.f. & Taylor) M.Wigginton, comb. nov. (a reinstated St Helena liverwort), and C. rotalis (Hook.f. & Taylor) M.Wigginton comb. nov., endemic to St Helena, South Atlantic Ocean, are described and illustrated, and oil bodies of C. ascensionis (Hook.f. & Taylor) Grolle are newly described and illustrated.     

A study of the red alga,Calonitophyllum medium (Hoyt) comb. Nov. [= Hymenena media (Hoyt) Taylor]

Ontogeny of the vegetative system and reproductive structures found in Hymenena media (Hoyt) Taylor (Delesseriaceae, Nitophylleae) indicates that the alga is similar to the Phycodrys group in its vegetative development, and to the Nitophyllum group in its female reproductive system. The vegetative system bears striking resemblance to the type species of a European genus, Radicilingua [R. thysanorhizans (Holm.) Papenf.]. Reproductive structures of two other species of this genus, R. adriatica (Kylin) Papenf. and R. reptans (Zanard.) Papenf. and the type species are inadequately known. On the basis of several vegetative characters and the location and superficial organisation of the tetrasporangial sori, a new genus, Calonitophyllum, is proposed to contain our Western Atlantic plants. The new combination, Calonitophyllum medium (Hoyt) Aregood, thus replaces Hymenena media (Hoyt) Taylor.     

Some synonyms of Herbertus dicranus (Taylor ex Gottsche et al.) Trevis.

A catalogue of all the names of Sematophyllaceae that have been cited or known to occur in Brazil have been located and is presented here.